Yet Another New Slideshow

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I especially liked Ben's final words over Angelique's unmarked grave too.

It's such a beautiful prayer, isn't it?

"Angelique, daughter of the devil, may the worms grow fat on your flesh. And may you know as much suffering in Hell as you have caused here on Earth."

And spitting on the grave before saying "Amen" is a nice touch.

 

[Gothick]

Trask Dude, those are some majorly scary eyebrows you've got there!  I swear those things always remind me of smooshed caterpillars!  Ugh!!!

If Trask were going to torture me, all that would be necessary would be to have his leering face topped by those hideous eyebrow-creaturings come leeringly closer and closer to my own face.  This is the stuff of which nightmares are made!

I wonder what it sounded like when the director was coaching Thinnes.  "Roy, you're not far enough over the top yet.  We need you as far off the ground as you can get!  You're still holding back!  Don't hold back!!"

On the other hand, today's photo from NoDS reminds me why I start bouncing up and down in my seat every time I remember that we are finally approaching a release date for this very, VERY long awaited project!  If Warners is as good as their word (I'm not laying bets, gentlemen), the DS films (possibly with the 2004 pilot as an extra?) will come out shortly before Halloween of 2012.  Yay!

G.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I wonder what it sounded like when the director was coaching Thinnes.  "Roy, you're not far enough over the top yet.  We need you as far off the ground as you can get!  You're still holding back!  Don't hold back!!"

You joke - but I remember reading an article in TV Guide that described how an unhappy DC, who was ghost directing certain moments in the finale, kept admonishing Thinnes and forcing him to redo his parts of the bricking up of Trask sequence because Thinnes wasn't being big enough in his performance in DC's estimation.

[Gothick]

I'd never heard about that TV guide article/interview, MB.  Why am I not surprised?  It helps explain Thinnes' performance in this--I've seen him in many films over the years and this is the ONLY place I can ever recall him indulging in this kind of showboating.

It seems as if DC also criticized Barbara Steele's performance in a rather tactless way when they were working on the series, given some remarks she made in the video interview with her released, I think it was on the Nightmare Castle disc, last year?

G.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

When yesterday's and today's Watching Project eps (Eps #98 and #99) ran on the Sci-Fi Channel back in '95, MPI ran a promo during them for the '91 Series' VHS tapes. This copy came of the promo ran June 6, 1995, and I figured people following this slideshow might enjoy seeing it again or for the first time - especially those who've never seen Jim Fyfe outside of the '91 Series:

[video]

<a href="http://www.dsboards.com/1991/91series-MPI_Fyfe_Promo.swf" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.dsboards.com/1991/91series-MPI_Fyfe_Promo.swf</a>

(To control the play of the video, right-click on it and use the controls.)

[/video]

And no doubt quotes from some of the extra footage from the finale will be featured in the slideshow for December.  

[Gothick]

Just adore today's shot of the Countess in high dudgeon.  I don't recall that scene, but it's clearly a great moment in the series.

G.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I don't recall that scene

While questioning Natalie during Victoria's trial, Peter asks what motive Angelique would have had for doing all the terrible things that have happened, to which Natalie offers that Angelique was in love with Barnabas. Trask immediately objects, asking the judge that if Angelique was in love with Barnabas, why would she want to kill him? To which Natalie remarks:

Ep #11 - Natalie: 'Monsieur Trask, I can see that you know very little
of jealous women. Or for that matter, women at all.'

And the courtroom breaks out in laughter, much to Trask's chagrin.

It's Midnite's favorite quote from Ep #11, which is the reason why she's included it in her selection of quotes.    I love it as well - along with today's quote. But more on that tomorrow...

[Mysterious Benefactor]

After Peter tries once again to establish that Angelique is responsible for everything. Trask objects that the testimony is slandering a dead woman and questions whether Peter expects them to believe that Angelique is still striking from beyond the grave. After Peter confirms that indeed he does, a very much alive Angelique appears in the courtroom, prompting Ben to repeatedly scream that she's dead. And playing the moment to the hilt, Angelique feigns being terribly hurt by what has been being said about her, concluding by saying:

Ep #11 - Angelique: 'Of course I am not dead. Do I look dead?'

Not that the moment is meant to be funny - nor is it even unintentional funny - but the way Lysette Anthony delivers the line so innocently never fails to make me laugh because the situation itself is so absurd and can only happen on a show like DS. And I just love the look Angelique gives Ben after she delivers the line:

It's like she's saying to him that there's never going to be a way Ben or anyone else will trump her. And that prompts poor Ben to begin to hysterically screaming that she's a witch and to lunge for her, which prompts the judge to have him dragged from courtroom, as depicted in today's quote.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Quote:[spoiler]Ep #12 (Extended) - Julia: 'I feel strangely relieved.'[/spoiler]

Context:[spoiler]After Maggie returns to Julia with a wet cloth to cool Julia's forehead, Maggie asks Julia how she feels. Julia replies that she feels strange, like... And Maggie finishes her sentence by saying, "the seance." Julia agrees. And when Maggie asks if she feels anything else, Julia replies with the quoted line. Maggie smiles and tells Julia to rest and she'll take her back to Collinwood later. She then wipes Julia's forehead again and is about to get up from the bed when Julia reaches out to her and asks Maggie to watch her. Maggie readily agrees, and Julia thanks her. The scene then progresses as it originally did with Maggie going back to the sink and the reveal that Angelique is now inside Maggie.[/spoiler]

This is the first of three featured quotes from the additional footage added to the finale...

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Quote:[spoiler]Ep #12 (Extended) - Barnabas: 'Ben...my loyal friend. Thank you.'[/spoiler]

Context:[spoiler]After Barnabas and Ben have joined Joshua in the cemetery and Joshua has assured Barnabas that Miss Winters will be freed, Barnabas turns to Ben and delivers the quoted line as they hug. Filled with emotion, Ben nods and then hands Barnabas a large pouch. Barnabas turns back to Joshua, sighs, and tells Joshua that he is ready. Joshua has an extremely troubled expression on his face as Barnabas walks to the entrance to the mausoleum. After a moment Joshua, clearly pained and hesitant, turns to face Barnabas - and from there the scene continues as was originally shown.[/spoiler]

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Quote:[spoiler]Ep #12 (Extended) - Sarah: 'Miss Winters... They are going to hurt Miss Winters.'[/spoiler]

Context:[spoiler]Barnabas is standing in the drawing room of the Old House and suddenly, as thunder echoes around him, drops the brandy snifter he's holding. Willie, who is also in the room, asks Barnabas what's the matter. After replying with but one word - 'Sarah' - Barnabas turns to see Sarah has appeared just beyond the doorway to the room. Sarah then delivers the quoted line and walks off. Barnabas runs in her direction while Willie reacts with, 'Oh my God! Oh my God!' As Barnabas sees that Sarah is gone, Willie asks him what Sarah means. Having turned to him, Barnabas informs Willie that he must go to Collinwood immediately because Victoria is going to die. He then rushes from the room leaving a terrified Willie standing there.[/spoiler]

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Not that this has anything to do with what was restored by MPI for the '91 Series' finale VHS, but there was more shot for that ep than appears in the restored footage. As the following capture from behind the scenes footage that was shot by a long gone entertainment program named Preview shows, Carolyn/Barbara Blackburn did indeed shoot material for the ep even though none of it was included in either the NBC or MPI versions:

But what's really worth noting when it comes to that capture is that Maggie, who was possessed by Angelique, was supposed to suddenly scream "NO!" at some point after Victoria reappeared and then Maggie was supposed to collapse in Roger's arms. And, of course, none of that is in either version of the ep. 

And while we're on the subject of behind the scenes footage, a piece on the show that was done for Inside Edition included rehearsal footage from the opening scene of the ep in which Maggie was attempting to exorcise Angelique from Julia.

(And am I seeing things - or is that one of the infamous afghans from the original show trying to make a cameo appearance in the finale? (Look closely at the bottom right corner of the capture.) Though if it is, sadly I don't believe it ever actually made it on camera...)

[Gothick]

MB, it's fascinating that you have such an exhaustive knowledge of the production history of this series, and such a rich store of rare material relating to it.

Thanks for the work you and Midnite did on this project.  I found it much more interesting than I had expected, and certainly more engaging than watching the actual series (from 1991) has ever proved...

G.

[Gothick]

I really do not mean to offend anyone but I find today's capture a total scream!  I laugh every time I look at that picture.

What I'm hearing in my mind is Fyfe telling Cross:  "Ben, no matter how hard you work at shredding this tired scenery, there's no way you're going to get an Emmy for Dark Shadows."  (Actually I hear "there's no way you're going to win the Sarah Siddons Award for Dramatic Excellence" because he looks so impossibly dramatic in that scene!)

Thanks for keeping these slideshows going, MB.  They are often a little highlight of my day.

G.

[Gothick]

Isn't today's capture a scene that was stolen, almost line for line, in the Depp Shadows?  I saw a clip that I"m sure had this line in it, and the set-up was nearly identical although of course, the Tim Burton version looked about 500 times better.

G.